Translator Microbes

From Farscape Encyclopedia Project

Thse micro-biological organisms allow alien races to understand each other's speech. They "colonize at the base of the brain" and allow one to understand alien speech.

Translator microbes seem only to be required by the individual who needs to understand alien languages, not the speaker. In other words, only the hearer needs to carry the microbes in order to understand alien speech, but for two-way communication to occur, both parties need the microbes.

It is notable that there is at least one alien species, the Kalish, who cannot tolerate translator microbes. When Crichton first meets Sikozu, who is Kalish, she has to learn English before she can understand what he is saying. His translator microbes do allow him to understand her, however.

There are also certain alien languages that are too complex to be translated by the microbes. Pilot's first language as well as the language spoken by Diagnosans fall into this category.